My City Med has officially launched a new division, My City Med Events, dedicated to hosting virtual events for rare disease and other medically-focused non-profit organizations.

Since 2018, My City Med has emerged as the leader in virtual event hosting for the rare disease and medical communities, presenting annual events like “The Rare Fair”, the only 100% virtual, 100% global event for the rare disease community. In 2019, the event welcomed over 500 attendees from 21 countries, across 95 rare disease groups. The Rare Fair was created in direct response to the lack of virtual events for rare disease patients, caregivers, non-profits, and other stakeholders.

“As a 3rd generation rare disease patient raising a 4th generation rare disease patient, it was a hardship to travel to conferences and events only to see the same faces in every room. We knew that in order to make rare disease resources truly inclusive and accessible, we needed to create a tool that would reach rare disease patients regardless of where they were located geographically or what their diagnosis was,” said Eden Lord, Founder, and CEO of My City Med. “Virtual events remove the barriers to attendance and the burdens of travel while effectively connecting the global rare community. We know that we can’t just offer a seat at the table to patients and caregivers – we must amplify their voices and we can do that through our virtual events.”

While My City Med is in its third year of virtual event hosting, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the need to offer innovative new options to non-profits in need of immediate and effective virtual solutions for canceled events. In partnership with The Civitas Foundation, My City Med launched population-focused impact surveys through the foundation’s site to gauge the impact of COVID-19 on patients, caregivers, non-profits, and medical professionals. Responses showed significant financial losses for rare disease non-profit organizations and heavily restricted access to education and resources among patients and caregivers.

“We know that COVID-19 has hit the rare disease community hard with canceled events and subsequent financial losses,” Lord explained. “While organizations are looking to keep the lights on and continue serving their communities, they know it’s crucial to retain important partnerships while finding new ways to connect their populations. Our team has pivoted to meet the needs of our non-profit partners by leveraging the tools My City Med Events has already built in order to serve new audiences impacted by COVID-19, as well as those who have been previously overlooked in the rare community.”